After announcing a 20 per cent fall in after tax profit for 2000/01 -
in part due to Virgin Blue's discounting - Mr Dixon conceded however
it was more likely Air New Zealand Ltd's Ansett would buy Virgin Blue.

Earlier in the year Qantas was allowed to swallow up Impulse Airlines,
despite the reservations of the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission's chairman Allan Fels.

"We would love to buy Virgin," Mr Dixon said today.

"I mean that. If they want to come to us we'd be interested."

But Mr Dixon conceded it was unlikely the ACCC would approve such a
deal.

"I don't know what Allan Fels would say," he said.

Asked about the likelihood of Virgin Blue soon doing a deal with
Ansett in the same way as Qantas did with Impulse, Mr Dixon replied:
"I think it's probable."